Artist
by PrussianCrystal
Summary: It's been five years since Endless Waltz, and the lives of Heero and Duo have drastically changed. (Shounen ai 1+2)
1. Default Chapter

Artist.html   
Disclaimer: You know the drill. Don't own 'em. Never will. Hey, that rhymed! ^_^   
Rated PG for language and shounen ai content. This is my second 1+2. Um, let me know if I should continue this or not...I don't really know. So, read and review, people! ^_^ 

Artist   
Chapter One 

The night was young. He watched and loved the way the sharp twilight of the sun cascaded over the clouds and the mountains. It was his favorite time of the day; sunset. It had been ever since he had moved to the Earth. Earth had much more to offer than the colonies, in his eyes. He didn't like to look up only to see the artificial sky, that *same* artificial sky that never changed, whether it was dark or day. The clouds never shifted and the same blue color you saw when you looked up at any hour between six and eight, could drive you absolutely mad. The sun sets and the sun rises were magical. In his eyes. 

The young man leaned back on the old, wooden swinging bench, throwing his arms back to rest against the top of it. He sighed a sigh of content and closed his eyes for a brief moment, remembering why and how he came to be where and more importantly, *who* he was. At fifteen he had been a gundam pilot, sent from the colonies to engage in a war on Earth. He never would have guessed he'd come to be where he was now. The Earth had always been beautiful to him, but the thought never crossed his mind to actually live on it. 

It was only his battle ground. Nothing more. Now it was his home. 

Here he was almost twenty-one, taller, thinner, but still not changed much. He made good money as well, after he finally settled down in one job. He had changed his name and got an ID. The day he turned eighteen he went searching for a decent job, an adult's job. However, he stilled looked like a boy. The hadn't grown a lot; was barley five foot four, and still had those boyish features: The chubby face, the stalky body, no facial hair, it was hard to find a job when people still thought you were fifteen. He got his first real job when he hit twenty, and had shot up nine inches. His collage basketball coach told him that he had a shot at the pros once, but he wasn't interested. There was only one thing he was interested in, art. 

He had first realized his talent while walking through an art museum. He saw the most beautiful drawings and paintings he had ever seen in his life. It was hard for him to believe those works could be made by the bare human hand. He made long trips to the museum every week, each day studying something new about ancient and modern art. He took tours when they were available, curious eyes and ears gathering as much information as he could about the works. 

Not long after that, he began to take art classes. He studied art at collage as well as city classes, most of his leisure time being taken up by his fascination for drawing. He spoke with other artists about their talents, watched them create their art, then *only* when he was sure he was ready, picked up the brush himself. Painting was not difficult for him, as he thought it would be. It was surprisingly easy. He used the primary colors; red, blue, yellow and white, to make the most enchanting and magnificent colors his mind could come up with. Flushed pinks, royal purples, outstanding yellows and radical oranges. Every color of the sunset. 

His first painting was just that. He had gone home, bringing all of his supplies; brushes, canvas, paint thinner, brand new paints and just one stick of charcoal. An eraser wasn't needed. The extra lines in a sunset had no need to be erased. There are never too many streaks of colors in a sunset. So he let his hand lead him, eyes shifting back to the sunset to his paper in split seconds, drawing everything that his eyes saw and more. The charcoal was down to a tiny nub once he was finished with the sketch. His fingers were black from smearing and there were beads of sweat tricking down his neck in anticipation. Then he waited. He waited for the perfect time, when the sun was in the perfect spot, casting an array of thousands of shades of reds, oranges, and yellows all over the mountains and the horizon. The clouds turned beautiful shades of purple and the sky a wonderful mix of blue-orange. After that prefect moment, he picked up his brush, and painted until the sun went down. 

Of course, his paintings were not simply limited to landscapes. He painted everything from the natural to the supernatural. Self portraits, animals, still life, sometimes even made his own creations. His paintings were auctioned off at a building called "Memories," an antique store. It was always quiet there. There were no children allowed inside of the building. It was size of enormous theater, with grand staircases and all. Paintings flourished inside, as well as other forms of artwork. Sometimes he'd walk inside, feasting his eyes on all the wonderful paintings. It was far greater than the museum, because only the finest art could be submitted to their store. He never thought or dreamed that he would become a professional artist, but it was happened before his eyes, and all too quickly. The fans demanded more and more everyday, but he didn't mind. He would simply paint them what they wanted. *That* was easy. It was what *he* wanted to paint, that he found the most difficult. 

Day after day he dreamed of painting someone he loved, someone beautiful, someone who let all his emotions flow out into that painting as he drew the object of his affection. Sadly, there was no such person in his life. He was tired of self-portraits. He was tired of drawing the same blue eyes, the same tall, slender body and long silky brown hair that cascaded over hi shoulders. It was rarely he would let his hair down to paint a picture, though. He usually had it tied back in a braid, sometimes a loose ponytail. He thought wearing it down would be too feminine, and people would start to suspect things, so he didn't sell the painting of himself with his hair down. He kept them in the small room he marked in his home for storage, along with his first landscape painting of the sunset. He had vowed to never sell that one. He was most likely the most beautiful work he had ever done, and wanted to keep it for himself, or for his love, that he was waiting for. 

Although it may sound like the man was a starving artist, depressed and waiting for his long lost love, he was actually quite happy how he was living. He was somewhat alone. He had a couple acres of land, although he didn't exactly need them, and his nearest neighbors were a mile away. Town was about five miles away, where he would drive every day to deliver his paintings. He could dish out two a night, on rare occasions three, if he really had that much time. He would spend nights working on paintings to meet a deadline, and cherished the time he had off. During those days he would work care free, knowing that no one but himself would have any effect on what he was painting. Almost no one.. 

Yes, life was pretty good. He had almost a week off starting today, and he planned to do some chores around the house. The grass hadn't been cut in weeks. 

________________________ 

He watched the sun until it disappeared behind the mountains, and the cool night air washed over his skin. Then he lifted himself up off of the bench, and after a good stretch, headed towards the house, his braid swinging and bouncing on his back as he walked. Once inside he went straight to the kitchen to fix up something to eat. He liked to have dinner late. It gave him some energy before he went back to his room to paint. Digging through his cupboards, he could only find a box a cereal that he was actually in the mood for. He set the cereal aside and went to see what he could find in the fridge. Grunting, he pulled a frozen TV dinner out of freezer. The usual. God, how he wished he could cook. God, how he wished he had someone there with him to cook. 

The phone rang as he was putting the dinner in the microwave. That was an unfamiliar sound in his household. He didn't often give people the number to his personal line. Usually it was only his business line that gave him a ring once in a while. The only people that had the number to his personal line was his business manager and his attorney. Leaving his dinner to warm up, he grabbed the phone off the counter. 

"Hello?" He said, praying that it wasn't his business manager calling him in tomorrow. His hands *did* need a break from all of that painting once in a while. Sometimes if people didn't get their orders in fast, his business manager insisted that he paint them a whole new picture for free. Artist lived a hard life, and his business manager wasn't making it any easier. He was actually thinking of just doing like the other artist did; paint when they wanted to and get less money, but he couldn't bare to loose his house on the Earth. It was one of the few things that mattered now. 

"Mr. Smith?" He man smiled to himself. Yes, the name he had chosen wasn't very original, but original was the least he wanted. He wanted to be known as a commoner, and he was sure there ha to be thousands of Mr. Smiths. For his first name though, he had chosen Mitchell, which wasn't as common as Tom or Dan or Chris, but was common enough so that people wouldn't get suspicious. 

"Yes, who's calling?" 

"Duo. Duo Maxwell." 

The phone was slammed down.   
________________ 

It was the voice on the phone that kept him up all night, the voice he had longed to here since he moved to his new place. The voice that he never thought he would here again. 'How did he find me?' The man asked himself. He thought he could escape Duo Maxwell. He thought he moved to Earth, changed his name and kept a low profile, Duo would never find him. It was the low profile part of the plan that he had slacked off with. He was one of the most popular people in the city. He dared anyone to try and paint two or three beautiful paintings each night. It was how he had to make a living, and unfortunately, it didn't agree to his plan that involved hiding from Duo. 

It was true, he had once been the gundam pilot known as Heero Yuy, and now that he had changed, almost completely, *would* Duo remember him? It had been five years. Five years since he saw the braided pilot's face. As a matter of fact, that last thing he did to Duo was knock him out cold and hand him over to the enemy. How could he face him? How could he tell him the truth? How could he tell Duo about what he'd been feeling for the longest time now? 

He remembered the first time he laid eyes on Duo, and first time he saw those eyes. Those, gorgeous violet eyes and that long, beautiful brown hair. He kept everything from Duo, even tried not speaking to him. Sometimes he caught himself staring at him, not listening to what he was saying, just the sweet sound of his voice. Nevertheless, he was sure Duo didn't have the same feelings for him. Even if he *had* the slightest trace of feelings for his fellow gundam pilot, they were gone now. Everything was over. The war was over. They were no longer comrades, not even friends. Most of all, they weren't fifteen anymore. They were more mature now, and now of those naive feelings had subsided over the years; but not his feelings for Duo. He thought about him constantly, especially when he was painting. He wished he could paint the color of Duo's eyes. Just once, it would be enough for him. 

He had even made changes to himself that reminded him of Duo. He had grown his hair out for past five years. It wasn't as long as Duo's, but it was getting there. He was surprised about how much his hair looked like Duo's when it was long. That's when he started wearing it in a braid; after he learned how to braid hair of course. Many times he had thought of cutting it. It would only take a little while to get it back to way it used to be, the way Duo remembered it, but he wasn't sure that Duo would want to remember it. When he painted self-portraits, he thought of Duo, and how it would feel to paint his hair down instead of his own. It was *just* his dream. It was a dream he had thought was so far away. Now Duo had found him. He could easily change his phone number, but what would take for him to do it? He kept asking himself, 'Do I want to talk to Duo? Or do I want to lose all communication with him *again*?' The latter would be easier, but the former was more tempting. Of course, that was if Duo decided to call again. He had hung up on him, maybe Duo thought he had the wrong house. God, he hoped not. 

Heero, or rather, Mitchell Smith, decided to sleep on it, hoping his mind would be less clustered in the morning. Plus, it was late. Maybe Duo would try again tomorrow. That's when it hit him. Maybe Duo didn't know who he was after all, maybe he had just read about him somewhere and wanted a painting. He had gotten calls before on his personal line, from people who refused to use his business number for obvious reasons. Maybe Duo *just* wanted a painting. That, in a way, would be easier. Heero wished for the best. If Duo did want a painting, he would gladly paint him one, even if it *was* his week off. 

Getting to sleep that night was a bit of a struggle. He couldn't seem to get comfortable, and he kept thinking about Duo and the phone call. It was a hot night, probably cloudless. It would be an excellent night to paint the stars. Maybe that would keep his mind off of Duo for a while. 

Tossing the covers aside, Heero slipped out his large bed, yawning softly before getting up to get a glass of water and his painting supplies. He stopped by the bathroom to grab a rubber band, and tied his hair into a low ponytail while walking to the kitchen. In the kitchen he spotted his phone, and his gaze shifted to the small black box next to it. He had forgotten. Caller ID! He had Caller, ID! Walking barefoot on to the cool tiles of the kitchen floor, Heero leaned over the counter and hit a button on the box that read, 'Previous call.' The box brought up the name and phone number of the caller. Sure enough, it read 'Duo Maxwell.' Taking the time to hit 'Save message.' Heero grabbed a pad of paper and then went on a mini scavenger hunt for a pen lying around. An artist without a writing utensil, isn't that something... 

Finally giving up, Heero went to his art supply closet and pulled out a pencil, some charcoal and a canvas, and went back to kitchen. He scribbled Duo's number down on the pad with the pencil, then set it beside the phone. Just in case Duo didn't call again. 'Baka. You shouldn't have hung up.' Sighing, Heero walked out onto the porch. It was near midnight, and the sky was as black as the charcoal in his hand, and each and every star was visible. That was another thing he liked about where he lived. The cool night air felt wonderful on his sweat covered skin. The sweat from stress of thinking of Duo. That night, Heero drew by the light of stars. 

___________________ 

Sunday evening, just as Heero was finishing up a painting of a humming bird that had been hanging around of his porch, he heard the phone ring. His personal phone line again. It had been two days since it had rung last, and he had begun to worry if Duo was going to call back. Leaving his art supplies on the bench, Heero got up and jogged to the house, sliding the kitchen door open and picking up the phone. His hands were trembling as he grasped it. 

"H-hello?" There was silence on the other line, than a deep voice, deeper than he remembered came. 

"That really is you, isn't it?" Heero drew in a breath. He could almost feel Duo's grin plastered on his face as he spoke. 'He must have been looking for me. There's no other explanation.' Taking another deep breath, Heero spoke. 

"How did you find me?" There was a pause, as if Duo was thinking of the right answer to give him. Heero was about to ask him again when Duo said, 

"I'll tell you if you invite me over." Alarms went off in Heero's head, and he felt his gut tighten. See Duo again? After five, long, drastically changed years? Actually, he was grateful that Duo had called first, if he had just showed up at his doorstep, he would have probably died of shock; using the term 'died' very lightly. 

"Y-yeah, all right." Heero couldn't refuse him. Not if he was actually asking permission to come over to his house. He didn't know how it would effect him, but this could be that last chance Heero could tell him about his feelings. If he refused him, that would be the end. "The address is-" 

"Oh, I've got it." Duo interrupted. There was dead silence for a moment. Then Duo said, "I'll come over around noon. I'm in town right now so it shouldn't take me more than ten minutes to get there." Heero wasn't sure if he could trust his voice to speak, and nodded absentmindedly. 'Baka. He can't *see* you!' 

"O-o-ok." 'Damn stuttering baka.' There was an awkward pause after that, neither one knowing what to say. Heero's hands were trembling even more than before as he gripped the phone, and he was turning around without knowing so, and the phone cord was slowly wrapping around his body. It finally snapped out of the plug. Heero gasped and looked down at the phone cord coiled around him. 'You are such a baka. That's the second time you've hung up on him.' Sighing, Heero clumsily untangled himself from the cord and snapped it back into the phone. The man gave a sigh and leaned against the marble counter. Just as he was beginning to relax his racing heart, he glanced at the clock. 11:30. He nearly screamed as the realizing occurred; that Duo would be there in only thirty minutes. 

He raced around the house, checking each room to see if it was perfectly tidy, no loose underwear or socks hanging around. Oh, yes, that was just what he needed. He could just imagine Duo saying, "Hey Heero, long time no see. Nice..underwear." Fortunately it was soon to Heero's knowledge that his house was in perfect shape, everything looked nice. Even though he wasn't a decorator type, the nice, expensive rugs on the floor and clean, marble counters and tables were a nice touch to his home. Sighing, Heero ran his hands through his hair in relief. 'My hair!' He thought, 'I hope I have time to braid it.' Looking down at himself, he realized that his hair wasn't the only thing that needed touching up on. He was wearing nothing more than a pair of denim cutoffs. Grunting, Heero rushed to his bedroom to change clothes. 

Ten minutes later he was ready, and still ten minutes to spare. He walked to the kitchen, briefing catching a glimpse of himself in the dining room mirror. He had dressed in a dark maroon button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black dress pants, which were the only ones that would match the dress shoes he had chosen out. His hair was done in a perfect braid that hung down to his lower back. Sitting down a kitchen stool, the thought of his paintings crossed his mind. Duo would certainly want to know what he was doing with his life, but could he show Duo the paintings? He wasn't he even sure Duo knew he had a soft side. In the war duo only saw him toying with guns and computers, but art? That was completely out of character for someone like him. On the other hand, maybe that was a good thing. Maybe Duo didn't like the *old* Heero. The cool, calm, antisocial Heero that wore spandex shorts and jumped off of high buildings without releasing his parachute. There was only one way to see if Duo would like the *new* Heero better. That was to show him who he really was. 

Heero was so dazed in his own thoughts he didn't hear the doorbell ring. His eyes shot wide open as it rung for the second time. Nearly tipping the stool he had been sitting upon, he jogged to the door. He took a deep breath and straightened his shirt. 

'All right Duo Maxwell, I'm ready for you.' 

TBC 


	2. Artist Chapter 2

Artist2.html Ok people, here's part two. Sorry it took so long but I had to *write* it first! ^_^ Maybe if I get enough reviews I'll start chapter three. *grins* 

Artist   
Chapter Two 

::Two minutes earlier:: 

Duo Maxwell's hands were shaking as he reached for the doorbell. He hesitated, and brought his hand back down. Groaning, he wiped the sweet of his hands off on his black jeans. Then he proceeded to toy with the end of his braid as he stared at the giant wooden doors in front of him. 'Things are so much easier to do on the phone.' He thought as he took a few steps back from the door. He been clam on the phone. More than calm, actually, actually comfortable talking to his comrade he hadn't seen in almost nearly six years! Yeah, that part had been easy. He didn't see Heero and Heero didn't see him, but walking up to his front door and seeing him face to face for first time in five years? Plus, there were certain..feeling involved. 

____________   
Duo had been more than certain that there were feelings developing for Heero when he was fifteen. It just didn't know how long these certain feelings would last. The last time he'd seen Heero was at the L3X1899 colony, where he, Heero and Trowa were putting an end to Operation Meteor. They didn't have the greatest departure moment either. It involved..well, fists. Aw hell, Heero had knocked him cold. That was the famous Yuy good-bye. First Duo had been mad, but then he remembered why Heero had done it. 

So he could go and save Relena... 

That made him even more angry. However, as the time passed in the cold, dark cell where Duo sat alone for more minutes than he could keep track of, the thought briefly crossed his mind that Heero was only trying to protect him. After all, he *had* asked him to hit him first. Second of all, if those guards had found his conscious they'd probably handle him their own way. There was always that thought lingering in Duo's mind though, that Heero wanted him dead. It hurt him to think about it, especially because of the feelings that developed for Heero throughout the years. He never thought he'd see the perfect soldier again, and wanted to kill someone that loved you wasn't exactly what Duo wanted Heero's last impression of him to be. 

Duo didn't start looking for him until a year after the war, and that wasn't just for Heero's sake. They *all* needed time to themselves after that war. He wanted to give Heero his space, what he needed to get his mind off the bloodshed of war. It would take much longer than a year to recover from killing thousands of people, though. Duo just couldn't wait that long. He decided he's wait a year, look for him, and if successful, ask he wanted a little company for a while. Heero would most likely be alone, he'd decided. He had no worries about that. He wasn't even worried about Relena. She was too important for him, and he knew Heero couldn't want to be up standing in the spot light where everyone could see him. That's not what soldiers do, even if they are heroes. At least not the honorable ones. He figured Heero had gotten himself a nice apartment in the city, got a job as a computer hacker, kept to himself and kept a low profile. 

Duo was *very* wrong. 

He learned after two years of searching the colonies for Heero, that he had gone to Earth. He heard from Quatre who recalled Heero telling him about moving to the Earth. He had also discussed that they hadn't talked about it a lot, and that Heero didn't want anybody else to know. 'You chose to go to Quatre, huh?' Duo wasn't so thrilled with this new information, but at least he knew Heero was living on the Earth. What's a little measly planet to search? 

Of course, Duo had other things to do aside from searching for Heero. He had to make of money, no question. For transportation, food, clothes, cash to spend on motel rentals. When he was on the go he must have stopped at over fifty motels, some more unpleasant than others; but anything was worth it, for Heero. 

Duo was frustrated more times than he could remember. He even recalled thinking that it wasn't worth it, but cursed himself for it. Anything was worth seeing Heero again. There were nights when he would just stay up all night and cry, whispering words of hope and encouragement to himself, telling himself that when he found Heero, it would all be worth it. Then there was that fear again. The fear that Heero's feelings didn't match his own. The fear that he would be traveling all of the this way for nothing. He wanted to see Heero *so* much, but he didn't want to regret it. 

In AC 199, Duo finally heard word of the streets about a man named Mitchell Smith. Rumor had it that he used to be a gundam pilot in the war. Duo had practically strangled the man he had heard the information from, demanding that he tell Duo all that he knew. Sadly, he didn't know much. All he knew was that the man had become pretty popular in the East. A man known for his paintings, of which copies had been distributed all around the world. Duo had screamed, over and over, "Where in the East?!", but the man had no idea, and threatened to call the cops if Duo touched him again. So Duo left, not knowing what he was going to do. He had to get to the East somehow, but he didn't have nearly enough cash. He'd after to get a job and save up for a couple of *years*. Little did he know, a couple of years was all he would need. 

Jobs as waiters were not hard to find, but Duo learned that the hard way. He had gone from job to job, making just enough money to keep himself fed and clothed. There was no way he would have enough money by the end of 200. His biggest paying job was his job as a waiter, which he kept for eight months. He got fired on the first day of his ninth month, the reason being he had taken too many sick days, but had often come to work with a cold or the flu. The manager had fired him after he caught him sneeze on an order of chili fries. 

Duo was about ready to give up. He had no money, no job, no car, no house. He was a stranger to Earth, and he didn't like it. He was much more than willing to go back to colonies for anything, but nothing seemed to turn up in which he was needed. 

One night, a gray, gloomy night that Duo thought there could be nothing good about, he had found the answer to all his problems. It was a completely unexpected find. He had been walking by some shops in the town that he was currently in, and spotted the beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life, besides Heero that is. It was a painting in a tiny craft store at the corner or the street. He had pressed his hands and face to the window of shop like a little boy looking at a shiny new toy, just to get a good look at the painting. It was a portrait of what seemed to be outer space, but there were white rose petals everywhere, scatter around the painting carrying streaks of magnificent colors that blended perfectly into the stars. The center of the painting was what struck him most. It was hand, reaching up, looking as if it was trying to touch the stars, and trickles of blood were running down the hand's fingers, over it's knuckles until the redness of the blood faded away into the painting. 

Duo had run in there, as fast as his tired, aching feet could carry him, and rushed straight to the painting. It was only a copy of course, not the original painting. He imagined the original would be even more beautiful, but quite costly. Damn, that's when the realization struck him; he didn't have a cent. He couldn't buy the beautiful painting. The store clerk must have seen him staring and walked over to him, gaze shifting from Duo's eyes, to the painting, and then back to Duo's eyes. 

"You like it?" It was an obvious question, but Duo didn't seem to notice, he just nodded, never taking his eyes off of the painting. Suddenly, Duo spotted the signature at the bottom of the painting. Mitchell Smith. 

"Do you *know* the man who painted this?" Duo asked, spinning around so quickly his longer braid almost smacked the store clerk in the face. The clerk stared at Duo like he was the craziest man on Earth. 

"Are you kidding? This guy lives in Europe somewhere. He's a famous artist." The clerk explained. Duo's jaw dropped. 'Heero was famous? Heero could paint like this?' It suddenly hit him that he wasn't actually sure it this was Heero they were talking about. There were only a couple factors as evidence. He lived on Earth, and Mitchell Smith was supposedly a former gundam pilot. Duo was pretty sure none of other pilots had gone to Earth, changed their name and sat down to become a famous artist. No, that was defiantly a Heero thing. Only someone as magnificent as Heero could accomplish such a task. Heero had it in him. He believed in Heero. Still, just to be on the safe side, Duo wanted proof. 

"Do you know that he looks like?" Duo asked eagerly, nearly hopping up and down one on either foot. The clerk's brows furrowed and he put his hand on his chin, rubbing it, as if trying to remember something. 

"I think I saw a picture of him in the paper once. Real serious looking guy, wasn't smiling. Messy dark hair, good looking guy." The clerk nearly snarled the last part, "Why is it always the good looking guys that get to be famous?" Duo wasn't listening. All he could think about was Heero, living in Europe, and himself, in LA, with no way to get there. Even so, nothing could hold Duo Maxwell back. 

"And you said he lives in Europe?" Duo asked, hoping the man would give him a more specific location. The clerk nodded slowly, his brows furrowed again. 

"Yeah, Ireland, I believe." Duo's eyes lit up until they were large sparkling pools of violet. 

"Thank you, sir." Duo chirped before running out of the store, on his way to the nearest pay phone. Now that he knew where Heero was, he had to find a way to get there. Stopping at the pay phone only to get directions to the nearest airport on the map, Duo stopped everywhere he could so he could sell his belongings. He sold almost everything he owned except for the clothes on his back and silver cross around his neck. Unfortunately, he had only made about fifty dollars. 

Duo was extremely exhausted, and had almost lost all hope as he sat on a bench in the city. It was his own fault he couldn't make it to Heero. If he had been a better person, got a decent job and made decent money, he could have bought that trip to Ireland, he could have been with Heero already. Instead he slacked off, five four years of feeling sorry for himself, thinking about nothing but Heero. Little did he know that thinking about Heero was the exact thing keeping him from getting to Heero. There was nothing more he could sell, no more jobs he could find, he was about to announce himself as a failure when he spotted the newspaper on the opposite side of the bench. It was the picture on the front cover that caught his eye. 'Hilde?' 

Scrambling over to the newspaper, Duo remembered leaving Hilde to go find Heero. He also remembered her saying *something* about joining the Preventers. Duo had even encouraged her to join. She was in excellent physical condition, and she was good with a gun. It was the perfect job for her. It was also the perfect job for any gundam pilot, but Duo had refused to take it. The Preventers were always traveling, and even though the pay was good, there was no way Duo could find the time off to go see Heero. Once you were in the Preventers, you stuck with them, and your time off was when they *told* you it was your time off. Clear and simple. 

The article on the newspaper was about the Preventers being in town, and Hilde and Lady Une's pictures were printed next to the article. Duo smiled when he saw how happy Hilde looked. He was suddenly glad he had made the suggestion for her to join. At least he had made *someone* happy in his life. As Duo read further in the article, it stated the Preventers would be at city hall for about a week, investigating things there and at the town. 'Perfect.' Duo thought. City hall was only a couple blocks, and if he could get in and talk to the Preventers, maybe he could get Wufei to lend him some cash. 'Definitely *not* cool, Maxwell' That didn't matter anymore.. 

It took Duo a mere fifteen minutes to walk/jog to city hall. Even though the Preventers would be there for three ore days, Duo had nothing better to do. Nothing was getting better for him. He'd just end up having to buy food and waist even more of the money had gotten from selling his belongings. 'It's times like this when I wish I still had my gundam.' A gundam would get him to Ireland in no time. It would alarm a great deal of people and he'd probably ended up getting arrested, which was something he really didn't need at the time, although nothing could keep him from getting to Heero. 

Almost out of breath, Duo stormed into City Hall, hoping to catch site of one of the Preventers hanging around on the main office. He was out of luck. The only person there was the startled woman at the desk from his sudden intrusion, and the security hard that was giving him a hard look. Duo rolled his eyes and walked past the security guard, straight to the woman behind the desk. 

"I need to speak to Wufei Chang of the Preventers." The woman looked at him oddly. 

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked. She was giving him that stern look like he was some sort of roach from the city that crawled in to feast on the crumbs. 

"Just tell him Duo Maxwell wants to talk to him." The woman grunted and picked up the bright red phone on her desk. She hit a button and spoke into it. 

"Sorry to bother you but there is a Duo Macwell out here. He wants to speak to Mr. Chang." Duo frowned. 

"Ma*x*well, ma'am." The woman ignored him and put the phone down. She gave him a look that purely said, 'wait here Mr. Macwell.' Duo rolled his eyes and leaned against her desk. Momentarily, the elevator doors by the security guard opened, and Hilde and Wufei stepped out. Duo stood up and grinned. Hilde grinned a grin much like his and ran up to him, jumping into his arms without a second thought. 

"Duo! I missed you so much! How *are* you?" She shouted as Duo pulled back hesitantly. Duo made a nervous expression. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to see Hilde, but explaining everything to her was not something he was thrilled about doing. He needed to talk to Wufei in private. After all, Wufei had always had a hunch that Duo saw something in Heero, and although Wufei *did* judge a lot, he wasn't one to judge on something like love. He had to find a way to talk to Wufei in private, but when he looked back at Hilde, he didn't have the heart. Her whole face was lit up in excitement and their was a slight flush on her cheeks. 

"I'm doing all right, Hilde. How are you doing these days?" He chuckled, flinging an arm around her shoulders. Wufei gave him a look. Obviously he could sense his hesitation. 

"What's wrong, Maxwell?" Duo looked at the floor, opened his mouth to say something when Hilde interrupted. 

"Oh, Duo! The Preventers are great! You sure lead me in the right direction. If you hadn't of suggested it, I might have never become a Preventer and still be working in the junkyard! By the way, what are you doing on Earth?" Wufei smirked. 

"Yes, Maxwell. Please enlighten us." Duo gulped nervously. He took his arm off his Hilde's shoulders and walked up to Wufei. 

"Wufei, can I..uh..talk to you in private?" Hilde's expression turned from happiness to confusion in less than a second. 

"Duo, is there anything wrong?" She asked, looking like she was willing to help with anything Duo needed. Duo hated lying to her. He hated keeping anything from her, she was like his best friend. However, something told him that Hilde liked him for more than just a friend. That's when he decided he had to get away from her. He didn't want to end up breaking her heart, and he defiantly didn't want to end up telling her who he really loved. 

"No, Hilde, everything's fine. I just need to talk to Wufei about some gundam pilot business. Y-you wouldn't really understand." He regretted saying that last part, but in a way it was true. She wouldn't understand what he had to say. She wouldn't understand his feelings for Heero. She wouldn't understand why he needed to ask Wufei for money. 

Hilde's gaze fell to the floor, then looked back up at Duo. 

"All right, I understand, Duo." She smiled. "I guess I wouldn't understand gundam pilot business. I've never actually was one. And I can tell that what you want to tell Wufei is personal." Wow. That's definitely not what Duo was expecting her to say. That just made his life a *whole* lot easier. 

"Well, I better get going. It was really nice seeing you again, Duo. And call me more often!" Duo smiled at her. She smiled back, that faint blush returning to her pale cheeks. She waved to Wufei and got into the elevator. Once the doors shut Duo immediately turned to Wufei. 

"Wufei, I need money to get to Ireland." He spoke quickly and softly so the security guard and the lady at the desk couldn't hear their conversation. Wufei's eyebrows shot up. 

"On a search for a pot of gold, Maxwell?" Duo face faulted. He didn't know Wufei could joke and now he knew why he never did. 

"Wufei I'm here because Heero's here. I found out that he had moved to the Earth from Quatre so I came here to see if I could find him." He said that even quicker than before, and much more quiet he wondered if Wufei had even heard him. His suspicions were confirmed when a tiny smirk appeared on Wufei's features. 

"Oh, you need the money so you can go see Heero? Did you hear he was a famous artist?" Duo's face fell for second time. He really didn't want to get into small talk about Heero. He would do that with Heero himself if ever got to see him. Despite that, Duo nodded. It sounded like Wufei was considering it, since he hadn't really said no yet. Wufei's smirk got wider and he shook his head. 

"I knew it all along." Duo blushed. 

"Yeah...great, how about the money?" He didn't want to float off the subject. The conversation wasn't supposed to be about Heero and him, it was supposed to be about the money that was going to get him to Heero. 

"You will pay me back within fourteen days, do you understand?" Wufei asked, his smile fading. Now they were talking business. Duo gulped. He wasn't sure if he could get that kind of money in two weeks. He'd be busy visiting Heero and wouldn't have a chance to get a job there and make that kind of money in two weeks. However, as he had promised himself, *anything* was worth getting to see Heero again. Even getting pounded by Wufei. 

"Deal." 

____________ 

So that was pretty much how Duo got to Ireland. Of course, Duo had asked for more money than he actually needed from Wufei, just so he could go back to that craft store and buy the painting that he saw. Even if it was Heero's painting, and he could probably get a copy of free from him, he didn't want to take any chances if Heero slammed the door on his face the moment he saw him. If that *did* happen, he'd want something to remember Heero by. Not that he was planning to give up on him any time soon. After all, anything was worth it. 

Right? 

TBC 


	3. Artist Chapter 3

Artist3.html Sorry for the delay in Part 2 ^_^, but I had to give a little backround on *both* of their lives up 'til now until I went any further. So, here's chapter three! Please review! *puppy dog eyes* 

Artist   
Chapter Three 

Duo was very close to turning around and walking away. His anxiousness and temptation to swing open those huge wooden doors was nerve-racking. 'Maybe he's not home.' The braided boy thought as he stared up at the doors; the only barrier keeping him the object of his affection. He had rung the doorbell for the second time over thirty seconds ago, and still no word from whoever might be living there. Maybe it wasn't Heero. Maybe he had the wrong house. Maybe- 

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard the doorknob squeak. He jumped nearly two feet in the air in surprise and slapped his hand over his mouth to keep from crying out. 'Play it cool, Duo. Just play it cool.' Regaining his composer, Duo stood, both feet on the ground, both arms at his sides, and waited as the wooden doors finally opened, slowly, almost hesitantly, until the process was complete. 

Duo's breath caught in his throat as he met those eyes. Those eyes he had dreamed about looking deep into for the past five years. Those eyes that he dreamed would be staring right back at him in such a way that he would drown in those eyes. However, the first thing he noticed about them were that they had lost the coldness that they had possessed in the past. They were no longer threatening, daring, searing. They were warm, welcoming eyes with just a tint of confusion from the moment. 

Neither of them said a word. 

Heero took this opportunity to look over Duo, from head toe, remembering. He remembered him now. The memories of the past flooded back into his mind as he stared. The huge violet eyes, the long chestnut braid that looked as though it had grown even longer. Instead of hanging to his mid-thighs, it hung just a tad above his knees. He too, had grown taller. Not as tall as himself, but Heero could tell by looking at his long legs, clad in black denim. His shoulders were broader, and were sporting the fabric of a gray T-shirt, that clung to his muscled chest and stomach. 'He's defiantly been working out.' Heero thought, he sides of his mouth twitching upward. Despite all of this, Duo's face hadn't changed noticeably. He still had that cheerful look in his eyes, and that heart shaped face. 'Even more beautiful than I remember him.' 

Duo too had been looking over Heero features, starting at the feet, bringing his eyes up the long, slender legs that always fit into the tightest jeans, but this time in nice, black slacks. As Duo's greedy gaze traveled up to Heero's chest, he noticed he wasn't as bulky, and his body had filled into his muscled nicely, *very* nicely. Duo froze when his wandering gaze met Heero's met, and a *huge* smile that nearly reached his ears spread over his face. 

Heero's expression turned from curiosity to shock as Duo took a step forward, grabbed in by the shoulder with one hand and with the other, spun him sideways just enough so Duo could get his hand on the braid resting against his back. 

"Oh, Heero! It's wonderful!" He cried, running his fingers over the woven, silky, dark brown hair that he had always loved, but never even dreamed about being this long. He was tempted to remove the blue rubber band Heero had used to tie it at the end, and run his fingers through that gorgeous hair, but decided not to take the risk of scaring Heero away. Instead and stepped back, the huge grin still plastered on his face and looked back at Heero's face, which was now a dark shade of crimson. 

"S-sorry." Duo said sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders, "It's just that..I..well." Heero waited until his blush subsides and smiled, shaking his head. 

"No, it's all right. Here, why don't you come in?" Duo jumped at the invitation, following his old friend into the huge house. Once inside, a wave of jealousy and shame hit him. Heero's house was beautiful. He wasn't sure if he had ever seen such a nice house before. Certainly nothing *he'd* ever lived in. Heero had worked so hard with his painting to get this house, and he had settled down and made a living. Duo, on the other hand, well all he had was a couple roach infested apartments and a few crummy jobs. He tried to make it seem like he wasn't in complete awe, like it was your ordinary, everyday house. 

"I know it's a little much." Heero explained when he saw the look of wonder of Duo's face that he wasn't hiding too well. 

"Oh, no! It's great, Heero!" He beamed. He saw Heero flinch at that last word. Duo gave him a confused look, but then it passed when he remembered that Heero had changed his name. He wasn't sure if it would feel right calling him Mitchell. 

"Would you rather I called you-" 

"No!" Heero shouted, startling Duo a bit and he looked away with a hurt expression. Heero sighed, "I'd rather you called me Heero, it'll just take some getting used to. I haven't been called by that name in a while. Duo sighed, remembering he had shouted that name out by the porch. He hoped it hadn't made him flinch like he did that time. That was a bad first impression after five years. 

Heero led them to the living room, where he offered Duo a seat on the couch, but Duo shook his head nervously, leaning against one of the armchairs in the room. He wasn't quite ready to sit on Heero's couch. They weren't that comfortable yet. After all, he was sure Heero was wondering why he was there in the first place. How would he react when Duo told him the truth? 

"I'm sorry I haven't contacted you. I've tried but I could never find you." Heero explained, and it really wasn't *much* of a lie. He *had* tried to contact Duo, but it was during the end of the war where he hadn't even gotten settled in his home yet, and most of those times it was just to ask Duo what he had done with his gundam. He wanted to make sure every gundam was destroyed. 

Duo shrugged, "I travel a lot." He grinned, "That's part of the reason why I'm here. Talking on the phone just isn't enough for me. Plus, I wanted to see how you were doing." That wasn't much a lie either. Duo *had* wanted to see how Heero was doing, but that was *not* why he was there. Somehow, someway, he would have to tell Heero the truth. He would have to tell him about his feelings for him. He would simply explode if he left Heero's house without knowing if Heero shared those feelings. However, now was not the time to speak of those feelings. He wanted to get comfortable around Heero first. 

"So, how did you ever find me, anyway?" Heero asked, breaking the errie spell of silence. He on the couch in the seat that Duo had refused, sitting directly across from him. Duo let out an exasperated sigh. 

"It wasn't easy, I can tell you that. It took me four years to get here." Heero smiled. 

"One of the reasons I don't have many visitors." He said softly. Duo smiled back at him, and then suddenly looked away as their eyes met. Heero could sense how nervous he was, but why? 'Duo never used to be nervous around me. He was always talking away, but now he hesitates to say a couple words.' Heero stiffened. 

"Well, I'm sorry for the trouble. You can, uh, stay here as long as you like. I haven't had company in a while and it might be nice." He offered. Duo's eyes lit up and he beamed at him. 'He invited me to stay!' 

"Wow, thanks Heero. I *really* appreciate it. It's just that...I don't have anything." A faint blush spread across his cheeks. Now Heero was going to find out he was poor. How could he tell him that he didn't have any clothes or money, or any other necessary accessories? How could he tell him he had sold everything just so he could come and see him? 

"I'm sure we can manage something. Clothes shouldn't be a problem. We're probably very close to same size. And as for money, well, you can use my stuff for a while, until you get a job and start making some of your own. I'll go by the store later and pick up an extra toothbrush. And..um, what kind of foods do you like?" Duo stared at him, mouth opened slightly, hardly believing Heero was opening up his home to him, *and* letting him borrow his clothes. Even cook for him? 'What in the world happened to Heero Yuy over these past five years?' It suddenly hit him that Heero was waiting for an answer. 

"Oh, anything you make will be fine. As long as it's edible!" He flashed Heero one of his trademark grins, which was unintentionally followed by a yawn. 

"Hmm, sorry. It was a long way here from LA you know." Duo explained, stretching his arms up over his head in a sleepy gesture. Heero looked concerned. 

"You can lie down for a while, while I go to store and make dinner." He was about to tell Duo how to get to his bedroom, but he wasn't quite sure he wanted Duo in there. A lot of his paintings were stored in that room, and he knew of Duo's curiosity, and frankly, there were some paintings he preferred Duo didn't see, for his own sake. Duo could tell Heero was debating something in his mind. 

"It's all right Heero, I'll take the couch. I'm not planning on invading your privacy." He said. At that, he flopped on the couch, sighing at its comfort and got into his sleeping position, "Wake me up when dinners ready." He said, stifling a yawn. In a few moments Heero could here a light snore coming from the sleeping boy on the couch. He let a warm smile cross his features before grabbing his keys and leaving. As soon as he was gone Duo sat up, "Yet." 

_________________ 

Duo did fall asleep after all. He hadn't been lying about being tired, but he'd been tired ever since he was a little kid. It wasn't often one got to sleep a huge, comfortable couch when fighting in a war, and Heero's couch was so tempting, it would be nice to get some decent sleep. Duo's sleep turned out to be far more than decent. He slept for hours, inhaling the sweet smell of Heero's home, breathing the fresh air, dreaming of Heero. That was normal for him, anyway. He dreamt of Heero on a regular basis, sometimes he didn't even know what the dreams were about, but as long as Heero was in them, he never wanted to wake up. Despite that, there was one thing that could always wake Duo Maxwell up from a peaceful sleep. The smell of good food. 

Stirring awake, Duo turned his body on the couch so he could see the kitchen. A smile teased at his lips as he saw Heero in an apron, standing over some sort of fancy grill, sprinkled seasoning on something that smelled delicious. 

"Mmmm..Japanese food." Duo moaned, inhaling the sweet aroma of Heero's cooking. That must have been another skill the "Perfect soldier" had picked up over the years. Heero turned his head at Duo's voice. He looked at him for a moment, smiled and turned back grill. 

"Hai." He said, still smiling. Duo sighed happily and stretched out luxuriously on the soft couch. So far his visit was wonderful. Heero seemed happy to see him, was letting him stay, and was cooking him a wonderful meal. Still, Duo wasn't quite ready to admit his feelings. After all, they hadn't really talked yet. Duo had so many questions to ask him. But wasn't sure how to bring them up, and before any talking could be done, Duo *needed* to take care of something. 

"Hey, Heero?" At the sound of his name Heero jerked his head towards him, his smile gone. He was still uneasy at the sound of that name. That wasn't helping Duo, either. He didn't want to make Heero even more upset by asking for money, but if he didn't pay back Wufei soon, he couldn't stay here much longer. Even though Wufei wasn't the one to do it, he could have Duo arrested. 

"Listen, I didn't have the money to get here. I borrowed some from Wufei when the Preventers were in LA The thing is, he says I have to pay him back within two weeks." There. He had said it, and Heero knew he didn't have any money. Heero was silent for a moment, just standing there flipping chicken on his grill. 

"I'll loan you the money." He said firmly, after a while. Duo flinched at the tone of his voice. It was the same tone he talked in during the war. That serious, "I'll kill you," voice. Duo regretted asking him. He would rather be arrested than have Heero be mad at him. 

"Thank you." He meant it, he really did, but the subject was dropped. Duo was curious why Heero had decided to loan him the money. It was really none of Heero's business, after all. Duo was actually expected something more along the lines of, "I'll help you find a job," but Heero was going to give him the money, plain and simple. He didn't even say when he wanted the money back. Duo swore to himself that Heero would get that money. He didn't want to be in debt with someone he had very strong feelings for. 

"Dinner's ready." Heero announced, his voice a little more cheerful than before, like it had been that afternoon. Duo smiled and hopped up from his place on the couch, giving his body a nice stretch before walking into the kitchen just as Heero was dishing the food into plates. 

"That smells wonderful, man." Duo declared, practically bouncing to his seat in excitement. Heero resisted the urge to smile and set a plate full of food in front of Duo, who's eyes grew as wide a saucers. The smile then escaped from Heero's lips. 

"Arigato." He said, sitting in his seat across from Duo on the kitchen table, scooping some chicken on to his own plate. He had handed Duo some silverware which he was now greedily using to stuff food in his face, while he had placed a pair of chopsticks by his plate for himself. Duo watched curiously as Heero fed himself using the chopsticks. 

"Since when have you adapted to these Japanese customs?" Duo asked, wiping his face with the back of his hand. Then, realizing he was being rude, picked up a napkin with a guilty grin. Heero just shrugged, and continued to eat. 'Now would be a perfect time to ask him about the paintings.' Duo thought. He cleared his throat, causing Heero to look up at him. 

"I heard that you..paint." Duo told him, looking down into his nearly empty plate, plucking a piece of chicken with his fork. Heero swallowed, rather loudly, and dabbed his face with the napkin, eyes searching anywhere but Duo as he did so. 

"Yeah, it's what I do for a living." He finally admitted. Duo wondered why it was so difficult for Heero to talk about anything personal. He was tempted to tell him about the copy of Heero's painting he had bought in LA There was really no harm in that. Perhaps it would make Heero feel better to know that Duo liked his painting. 

"There are some copies being sold in LA" Duo said. That didn't seem to have an effect on Heero, he just continued eating, nodding once at Duo's comment. "They're really beautiful, Heero." That caught Heero's attention. He put down his chopsticks and looked back at Duo, a tint of sadness in his eyes. Duo's eyes narrowed. Something was bothering Heero. First the deal about his name and now this. He opened his mouth to say something but was silenced at the sound of Heero's chair screeching backwards so he could stand up. Duo watched as he picked up his plate, placed it in the sink and began to walk off. 

"Heero!" Duo called, pushing his chair back and standing up. He was about to chase after him when Heero spun around, anger flashing in his eyes like bolts of lightning. Duo froze where he was, holding his breath and gripping the edge of the table. 

"I *don't* want to talk about it, Duo! Just be grateful I'm letting you stay here, and leave me be." The was a frightful tone in his voice that no body would argue with. Duo's expression turned to hurt and confusion as Heero stormed off, a few seconds later hearing a door slam shut. He hoped it wasn't the front door. He hoped Heero hadn't left. 

"What did I say?" Duo whispered to himself, sliding back into his chair, but as he looked back at the meal Heero cooked, he no longer had an appetite. Maybe he *had* crossed his boundaries. After all, he had just barged in, asked Heero for his hospitality and money, and dug into the rare delicacy that Heero had prepared for him. Duo felt a tightening in his stomach as he realized he had no way of showing his appreciation. Worst of all, Heero was mad at him. Heero had yelled at him, which made the situation he was in about confessing his feelings, a lot more difficult. 

_________________ 

That night, Duo had fallen asleep on the couch while watching TV, after he had figured out how to work in of course. It was one of the most high-tech televisions he had ever seen. The TV did *not*, however, calm the burning feeling in his chest. He couldn't get that picture out of his head, of Heero yelling at him, eyes filled with such hatred and rage. Knowing that he deserved it just made Duo feel worse. 

Duo couldn't often sleep comfortably most nights. He would wake up occasionally, thirsty or having or go to the bathroom. When we woke he'd be sticky with sweat and uncomfortable, and have to splash cold water on his. However, at Heero's house it was different. The temperature inside of the house was relaxing, not to cold or hot, and when he woke up, he wasn't thirsty, he didn't have to go to the bathroom and he wasn't uncomfortable; especially on that big, soft sofa. Still, he found it hard to get back to sleep. He kicked off his shoes, which he had accidentally left on, and stole a pillow from the other side of the couch to rest his head on. It wasn't a very comfortable pillow. Couch pillows usually weren't ideal for sleeping. He sighed and tried to get comfortable again, when he heard footsteps coming towards the couch. 

Immediately, he pretended to be asleep, knowing it had to be Heero. He didn't want to face Heero right now. Not after the incident in the kitchen. So he fluttered his eyes closed, bringing his hand up to his face to hide it. He could almost feel Heero approach the couch, standing, observing him. To his surprise, Duo felt a soft fabric touching his skin, covering him. 'A blanket.' He thought. Then, he felt Heero's cool hands on his shoulders, lifted him up just enough to slip the couch pillow out from under his head, and replace it with a much more comfortable one. Slowly, He lowered his shoulders, and Duo settled his head on the new pillow. Once he was sure Heero was gone, he opened his eyes. 

"Heero.." He whispered. Heero had been angry with him, so why would he come out there to ensure his comfort. Now Duo was completely confused. Something was going on with Heero's emotions, as were his own, and he wanted to find out just what those emotions were. Duo slid out from under the blanket and off the couch. He went in search for master bedroom. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, remembering telling Heero that he wouldn't invade his privacy, but something was bothering them both, and he needed to tell Heero the truth. 

He stopped at several doors while creeping down the hall, peeking inside each one to see if it was Heero's bedroom. He came across two bathrooms and a closet before he reached the end of the halls. There was a "T" shape at the end of the hall, with two doors at each side. Both were large, wooden doors, much like the ones at the front. He decided to check the one on the right first, stepping as silently as he could towards it. He slowly turned the wooden handle and pushed it open just a crack, and peeked inside. What he found was not Heero, but his painting storage room. 

Duo's eyes widened in awe when he laid eyes on all of Heero's magnificent paintings. Even in the dark, the colors were stunning, and they came in all shapes a sizes, brightness and darkness. Duo couldn't tear his eyes away, as they scanned over each and every painting, studying it. He froze when he saw what it appeared to be, a self portrait of Heero. He couldn't help the slight drop of his jaw as he stared a the painting. Heero was standing, back pressed against glass that looked as if it was tainted with blood. There was complete sorrow and sadness in his expression and his fingers were drawn trying to dig into the glass behind him, drawing fresh blood from the flesh. There were tears streaming down Heero's face, dripping on the white T-shirt he was wearing, one side of the collar sliding down his shoulder. Duo felt tears filling up in his eyes when he realized Heero was painting his sorrow. 

"But why?" He whispered, eyes never leaving he beautiful but frightening painting. His breath stopped when he heard footsteps behind him. He was caught. Before he could even turn around and explain a strong hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him away the door. He turned and met Heero's fiery eyes. A guilty look crossed Duo's face as he tried to apologize, but Heero slammed him up against the wall before he could even get one word out. 

"I can't *believe* I trusted you in my home! If I wanted you in there I would have put a welcoming sign on the door!" He shouted. He was holding Duo firmly to the wall so he was forced to the look into the other boys eyes. 

"Heero..I-I'm sorry! I was looking for you, I just wanted to tell you that-" 

"That what?!" Heero demanded. Some of the anger had vanished from his eyes, but was replaced with sadness, emptiness. Duo felt a burning in his own eyes and isn't want Heero to see him cry. 

"Just let me go! I won't go into your stupid room again!" He broke free of Heero's grasp and ran down the hall, pouncing the couch and burying his head in the pillow to muffle his sobs. He had lied. It wasn't a stupid room. It was the most beautiful room he had ever seen, why would it be so forbidden? 

A few minutes later, when it was so quiet Duo could only hear the sound of his own, sharp breathing, he got up once again, and walked to the door of Heero's bedroom. His eyes widened as he heard the soft, muffled sobs, similar to ones he had been making just a few minutes ago. 

Something was terribly wrong. 

TBC 


	4. Artist Chapter 4 and epilogue

Artist4.html Author's Notes: Last chapter folks. Thank you for all your kind reviews that kept me going on his story.   
Notes for this chapter: Exreme SAP   


Artist   
Chapter Four 

Duo sighed as the hot water hissed as he stepped under it, enjoying the way it massaged his shoulders and back, reliving the stress that had been building up over the past few days. At that moment he wished he could stand under that water forever, and feel that comfortable for eternity. It was the most comfort he had experienced all week, anyway. 

The past few days had a been a nightmare. After that night, when Duo had found Heero's secret stash of paintings, Heero had not spoken a single word to him. Once in a while he would point Duo in the general direction of the shower, other bathrooms in the house, the garage, and hand him the keys to his car so Duo could look for job. That was another part in his misery of the week. He hadn't been able to find a single job, and the ones he was actually willing to do, would completely cut into his time with Heero. Although that time wasn't very pleasant. 

They would eat dinner in complete silence, although Duo was tempted to comment him on his cooking, but Heero didn't really seem to like comments. Heero was usually done with his food faster, then he would dump his plate off in the sink when it was Duo's night for dishes, or wash it, go in the other room and wait for Duo to finish his dinner. In which case he would go *back* to the kitchen and wash Duo's plate, then retire to his room for the rest of the night. 

Duo was often very curious about what he did in that room for so many hours. Sometimes he would walk up and press is ear against the door, listening for any movement or speech, but none ever came. More than once, he had knocked on Heero's bedroom door, but it would never open. There wouldn't even be a response. Once he had tried talking to Heero just before he left to deliver some paintings, but Heero had just given him an icy glare, brushing him off and walking out the door without a word. The strangest thing was, every night he would fall asleep without blankets or a pillow, and every morning he would have a blanket on top of him and a pillow under his head. If Heero was so mad at him, why was it so important that Duo was comfortable. He had even given Duo complete access to his bathroom supplies; shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream, all that stuff. Heck, he even let Duo drive his car around. Someone who didn't know what was going on, couldn't even tell Heero was mad at Duo until he tried to talk to Him. 

This was all utterly confusing and stressful for Duo. He even had himself wondering if Heero was ever going to speak to him again. He had lost count on how many times he had apologized, how many times he had tried to make up for it by doing Heero's laundry and doing dishes when he didn't have to. However, a couple times when Duo had said he was sorry (The first couple times when the sentence was exasperated or pleading), he could see no anger in Heero's expression; just sadness, regret. He regretted Duo seeing those paintings. That was when Do finally came to the conclusion that this was all about the paintings. It wasn't about Heero changing his name, or even becoming a famous artist and buying a huge house in Europe. Those things were nothing to be embarrassed about. However, Heero had some sort of modesty for those paintings. He kept them stuffed In a dark room, never hung any up on the walls or put any out for display. Even when he was making deliveries, he would carry them a large black bag that zipped up at the top. Duo couldn't even get a glance. 

The violet eyed boy sighed at the thought about Heero being ashamed of those paintings. They were the most beautiful pieces of art he had ever seen. It was just that, they had so much sadness in them, and when Heero painted his own eyes in those paintings, Duo could almost sense he was trying to say something through his paintings. He wondered if anyone else had caught that but him. 

Duo stepped out of the spray to wash his hair, his mind never leaving Heero. While running his hands through the thick, tangled strands, he began to try and think up some subject that Heero was willing to talk about, and maybe give him some answers. Running his fingers through his hair, then untangling it with the conditioner and feeling it's softness as he ran it under the water, he finally thought of something. A smile graced his lips. 'And I know exactly ow I'm going to do it.' 

It was around nine, and Duo was sitting on the couch watching his favorite prime time show, munching on a bowl of popcorn he had fizzed himself. It was all a matter of causality. At exactly 9:05, Duo heard the shower faucet turn on. Every night at around nine, Heero would get into the shower. He was in there for almost as long as Duo was, since he too had a great mass of hair to wash every day. Duo remembered this when he had been washing his hair this morning. There was something about seeing Heero with long hair for the first time, after he got past the shock, that struck him in way that maybe, there was a reason Heero had grown his hair out. He hadn't gotten a chance to ask about it before, and since they weren't speaking for the past couple of days, couldn't ask him then, but Duo found a way. 

Quickly, placed his bowl of popcorn on a desk next to the couch, hopped off of it from the back and headed towards the bathroom. Taking a deep, breath, he approached the door. He reached out and tested it to see if Heero had locked it. He hadn't. Good sign. That was strange though, since Duo *always* locked the door when he was in the shower. He didn't know *why* he didn't, since he wasn't the modest type, but he always felt unsafe, even a bit scared in the shower. After all, there *were* a lot of scary movies with murders that happened in the shower. Passing that thought away, Duo slammed open the door and prepared for Heero to hit him. He had predicted that would be Heero's first reaction. First he had barged in on his paintings, now his bathroom while he was in it. To Duo's surprise, no blow came. Some of the tenseness in his muscled relaxed and he slowly opened his eyes, which widened at the sight of the beauty before him. 

Fortunately for Duo's sake, Heero hadn't finished undressing. If he had, then he would defiantly get hit, and probably thrown out of his home and sued. Instead, Heero stood, shirtless, in all his upper body glory, shocked expression on his face, and most importantly, hair loose. That was the one thing Duo was shooting for in this little bathroom bust-in. Duo's jaw hung loose as he feasted his eyes on those marvelous, chocolate colored strands of silk, spilling over his shoulders, outlining his small, but muscular frame. 

Duo searched his eyes for any sign of anger or discomfort. Finding none, he steps forward, taking a couple strands of that dark brown silk in his hand. He ran his fingers over its soft texture, then lifted it up closer to his face to breath in the sweet scent of Heero's shampoo. He looked back at Heero's eyes, not releasing the hair. 

"Why'd you do this?" He whispered. The sadness in Heero's eyes returned, and he looked away. Duo let the couple of strands fall back into place, rested on Heero's shoulder, and took another step forward. He reached out and with two fingers, lifted Heero's chin up to meet his gaze. 

"Tell me why you're so sad. Tell me why you started painting. Tell me why you grew your hair out." He said as firmly as he could without sounding harsh, never losing eye contact with Heero. He sighed and backed away from Duo's touch. Duo's muscled tensed s Heero walked towards the shower, hoping that Heero wasn't just going to ignore him again, but relaxed as he reached up and turned the water off. Then he walked back to the sink, grabbed the rubber band he had placed there and tied his hair back in a low ponytail. Pausing to put on his shirt, he lead me out the bathroom, shutting the door behind them. Duo looked at him, still waiting for an answer. Heero seemed to hesitated, shifting his gaze from Duo to further down the hallway, where the doors were to his bedroom and painting storage room. After another moments hesitation, and lightly wrapped his hand around Duo'd wrist and pulled him down the hall. Duo didn't object, letting himself be tugged along until they reached the doors to the storage room. 

Taking a deep breath, Heero clutched the door handle with his free hand and pushed it open, hearing the door brush up against some boxes as he pushed it back as far as it could go. Duo's eyes widened as Heero then pulled him inside. He felt Heero let go of his wrist, so he was standing in the darkness of the room, trying to make out of the beauty of some other paintings he hadn't seen before. Suddenly, a light clicked on, and Do covered his eyes from the brightest, then waited for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he saw all of Heero's paintings, lighted up and shining with glorious beauty. Heero stepped up to stand by his side. 

"This is a side of me I didn't see until I met you." Duo spun around to face him, gawking at him, in shock from what he just said. 

"Me? You-You're saying these paintings are because of me?" Duo stuttered, not believing it could be true that Heero's way of life had come to be because of him. Heero's expression did not change, and Duo didn't need an answer. Does this mean Heero actually had feelings for him? That these paintings were some way of showing emotion towards him? 

Duo looked away from Heero momentarily, to take another look at the paintings that were before him. Shock rose in him as he studied them harder. The self portraits of Heero, each one showing him extremely sad and alone. One of Heero running his fingers through his hair, crying at his knees and bleeding. Duo didn't even know where the blood was coming from until he spotted a darker patch of blood on his white shirt, on the place where if his heart was. He saw another, a self portrait of Heero staring into another mirror, no expression on his face as he looked at his reflection. The strange thing about it was that, he eyes were painted Prussian blue, the color they truly are, while the eyes in the reflection were violet, the exact color of Duo's eyes. 

Tears formed in those eyes as Duo looked over each and every painting, sometimes walking over to them and brushing his fingers against the course surface. He began to feel Heero's loneliness and despair in those paintings. Feel the sadness and regret, but he also felt love. There was true love painted into those portraits, that he guessed only Heero himself could describe. He turned back to Heero, a couple stray tears escaping from his eyes, waiting if Heero would do so. 

"The past five years, Duo, I've been living here thinking all my efforts put into these works were in vain. That you would never return to me from that last battle ground you fought at. And I've lived, wondering if there was ever going to be another meaning to my life besides you. I've wondered if I'd ever paint something with true happiness in it. I've wondered if all my dreaming, and my countless efforts, sleepless nights and nightmares would ever bring you back to me." 

Duo was speechless, not having the slightest clue what to do or say that would make Heero feel any better. He regretted ever living if he was cause of all of Heero's despair. Although, he did feel a strong urge to walk to up and wrap his arms around the boy, kiss him passionately and tell him he didn't have to wonder anymore. To tell him that he would stay with him forever, making up for all the grief he had caused. How was he supposed to know? How was he supposed to know that Heero shared the same feelings he had for him? If he had known, he would have gotten to Heero so much quicker, not caring about the matter of money. He wished Heero hadn't of made himself so damn hard to find. 

"Duo, I need to ask you something." Heero's words snapped Duo out of his thoughts, and looked up, back into those sad eyes of his secret love. Duo nodded, prepared for anything Heero might want to ask him, "I need to know if you share my feelings. If you don't, I completely understand. You don't need to worry about me. Just answer this question and I promise I'll feel better, no matter what the answer may be. I just need to know." 

Duo smiled, half glad Heero was asking him this so he wouldn't have to explain it himself. He didn't know if he could find the right words like Heero had, but another half of him was wishing he could express how much he loved him in words. Then at least Heero would know for sure. However, Duo had another way of expressing his confession of love for Heero. 

Nervously, he stepped up to him, and wrapped his thin, but strong arms around he boy he had been dreaming to wrap his arms around for so long. He stood on his toes so he could reach Heero's lips, but didn't need to when Heero met him half way, bending his neck just enough to meet Duo's lips, waiting for him. It was just as passionate has Duo had imagined, and dreamed about so long. All of his hidden emotions for Heero flooded out in that one kiss, showing him how much he loved and cared for him, telling him that he didn't want him to be sad any longer. 

After for what it seemed to be an eternity, they pulled away, gasping for breath, flushed faces, and slight smiles on their lips. As Duo looked back into Heero's eyes, he no longer saw sadness, but extreme love and passion. Heero looked at the ground, face flushing a bit redder, and mumbled. 

"I sure hope that means yes." 

------------------- 

That night they ate dinner together. Heero had made the same meal he had made the first night Duo got to the house. That seemed to be his favorite by the way he gobbled it all down so fast. Every so often they would just look at each other and smile. They talked as much as they could through dinner, telling each other how much they missed one another and how many times they had tried to contact the other. Duo confessed his love for Heero in words, not as great of words as Heero had confessed him, but he got a very heartwarming smile and long kiss as a reward. Although he was never really good with words, Heero was being very generous. 

After dinner they sat on the couch together, mainly discussing how Duo was going to pay Heero back for loaning him the money to Wufei. Heero came up with a rather odd solution. He had suggested that Duo let him paint him, and whatever money came out of that painting was Duo's to keep, and he could just pay back Heero what he owed him. Duo for more than willing to do this. All he had to do was sit back for a couple hours and watch Heero paint him. Unfortunately, that was not what Heero had in mind. 

At about 6:30 the next day, just as the sun was setting, Heero led Duo out onto the patio, carrying his bag of painting supplies. Duo had a huge grin plastered on his face the whole time, and Heero snickered and led him to the swinging bench that Heero usually sat on the paint something. Duo bounced over to bench happily and sat down, waiting for Heero to situate with his paints and supplies. Heero had to make a small trip the garage to get a patio chair and a small fold out table to place his supplies on while he painted, then grabbed them back out and placed it directly in front of the bench. He sat down, canvas in his lap and paints and paint thinner at his side. He observed Duo, who's grin had faded, and was now blushing slightly. Heero chuckled. 

"Hey, I've never been painted before." Duo whined. Heero just smiled and continued observing him, trying to think of a nice pose to paint Duo in. He wanted this painting to be special. This would be his first work that wasn't a pronouncement of his despair. He wanted to world to see just happy he was now, now that he was with his love. 

"Duo, let down your hair please." Duo's jaw dropped. No one had ever seen him with his hair down before, besides himself and the people of his childhood. Ever the church massacre, he had always worn it in a braid, except when he taking showers. Something fluttered inside of him as he looked back at Heero though, knowing that he was going to be with his love forever and always. Yes, it was definitely worth it. Sighing, Duo reached behind him and grabbed the end of his braid, pulling on the rubber band that held it all together. Finally, it came loose, unraveling quickly at the end, then it took some effort from Duo to unravel it all the way. Heero just watched in awe as the gorgeous locks of chestnut hair cascaded around Duo's body in the same way that rays of sun shown down unto the Earth. It was the most beautiful thing he'd seen since he had seen his first sunset. 

To Heero's surprise, instead of sitting down, Duo walked over to him, slight frown on his face, reached behind Heero and tugged on the rubber band that held *his* hair back. He threw the rubber band behind him carelessly, smiling in satisfaction. Heero couldn't help but smile as well. Then Duo spun around and walked back to bench, sitting down again. 

"No, stand up." Heero said, his voice in an observing tone once again. Duo looked confused. He didn't want to stand up for hours while Heero painted him. He could get a cramp. Heero rolled his eyes. 

"If you sit down I can't see your hair very well, your sitting on it. Please, Duo?" Duo sighed at his love's voice and stood up. 'Only for you, Heero.' He thought. Heero waited until the time was perfect, so that sun was peeking out behind some mountains, casting an array of warm colors over the sky behind Duo, tiny rays of red sunlight shining down on him. 'God, he looks like an angel.' Heero thought. He quickly drew out the sketch with fast hands, pausing once in a while to move a strand of hair behind his ear, which made Duo smile every time he did it. In no time, he moved on the painting part of the process, mixing his colors to create those stunning hues he used in all of his paintings. It was just that this time, they would a lot brighter. 

As the hours past, the two got lost in each other's eyes. Heero had just begun to move on to paintings Duo as the sun set, but he had already painted the background sky and rays of red sunshine over Duo. Now it was time for best part. Duo did find himself getting tired of standing there like that, but every time he caught that look in Heero's eyes, he reminded himself this would all be worth it. To see the finished paintings, to see the happiness that Heero had finally expressed, and he'd also be glad to be out of his love's debt. 

It was pretty late when Heero was done, and they both looked extremely tired. Duo smiled at the way paint and charcoal was smudged all over Heero's cheeks. When Heero announced the painting to be done, Duo jumped away from his pot by the bench and went to stand by Heero, where they both looked down at the painting. Duo blushed as he saw himself portrayed as an angel, but Heero simply said that was what he saw. The most beautiful thing about the painting were Duo's eyes, sparkling with violet. 

"That's an amazing color, Heero." Duo commented, observing his eyes in the picture. Heero smiled and looked up into Duo's eyes. 

"I know." 

-------------------   
~Epilogue~ 

"I wanted to take you here so much, but children weren't aloud inside for the longest time." A mother said to her daughter, hurrying her along with a hand on her shoulder. The young girl smiled and looked around the store with a curious glint her eyes. 

"These paintings are a lot better than the ones I paint." She said, looking up at her mother in concern for her artwork. Her mother just laughed softly. 

"These are professional artist, you have to remember that." She reminded her daughter. Walking down the halls of paintings, the girl looked around, eyes widening as something caught her attention. She saw brilliant colors she had never seen in even the most colorful paintings before. She rushed away from her mother, who followed her, frowning in confusion. The girl finally found the painting that caught her eye. She gasped when she saw it in all its true beauty, running her tiny fingers over the surface of the painting. 

"Mommy, look! It's an angel!" She cried. Her mother walked up next to daughter and kneeled down to observe the painting her daughter was pointing at. Not only was it an angel, it was Duo Maxwell, with his wonderfully violet eyes and long, chestnut brown hair, surrounding him as sunlight did, causing a beautiful effect. The mother spotted a gold plate beside it, with a couple words inscribed into it. 

- The angel will not appear until all sorrow is ceased -   
- Heero Yuy 

~Owari 


End file.
